Second Chances
by Faint Starlite
Summary: Bulma's had eonugh of her abusive husband after a tragic event. Her BFF Chichi helps her flee to a small town in the country as she tries to keep her identity a secret & resist the budding attraction to the towns' Deputy & unfortunately her new n
1. Chapter 1

Hey everyone! I'm Faint Starlite and I am excited to finally post my first fanfic. This story is an A/U. The main focus of this story is Bulma and Vegeta, but there will be a side story of Goku and Chichi in here as well. You will see a lot of familiar characters throughout the story as well. Hope you all enjoy!!!!

Disclaimer: I do not own any Dragonball Z or any of its characters, just the idea for this story.

**Summary:** Bulma is in an abusive marriage and decides, after a tragic event, that she's had enough. With the help of her best friend Chichi, she flees from her husband to a small town in the countryside. Her life takes unexpected twists and turns as she tries to regain control of her life, keep her true identity hidden and resist her budding attraction to the town's handsome Deputy Sheriff, who unfortunately is also her new neighbor.

_Escape_

This was it. The day was finally here. After all the preparations over the last month, the day had finally come. She was so nervous she felt nauseated, but forced herself to eat breakfast and make small talk with her husband, who had hidden himself behind this mornings' newspaper. Surely her husband would become suspicious if her behavior seemed unusual. Today she would free herself from the monster that was her husband. She would finally be free from fear of saying or doing the wrong thing. She would finally be free from his angry wrath when she wasn't an "obedient" wife. She would finally escape.

She never would have thought that their relationship would turn so volatile. They were happy in the beginning, or so she thought. Symon Nash was smart, handsome, charming and everything Bulma thought she wanted in a man. He was one of the most brilliant minds at Capsule Corp and West City's most eligible bachelor. He was a scientist in the crime lab of the West City police department for about 3 years before he was hired to work in their Research and Development labs. That's when he caught her father's attention and took Symon under his wing. He quickly moved up the ranks of the company to his current position of Vice President of Capsule Corp's Research and Development Division in a matter of 7 years.

Bulma had heard her father speak often about the talented young man he had took a liking to, but she didn't formally meet him until four years ago at Capsule Corp's annual Christmas party, shortly after he had been promoted to Vice President of his division, which was very impressive for a man only 32 years old at the time. Her father had practically pushed the two of them together. With her father's insistence on what a fine young man he was and her mother becoming more and more vocal about wanting grandchildren, Bulma reasoned they could possibly be a good match and Symon definitely seemed interested.

He was very intelligent and quite handsome; thick blonde hair that slightly curled around the edge of his neck with emerald green eyes and dimples when he smiled. He worked out religiously and had a toned body to show for it. There was definitely physical chemistry between them and she thought with time maybe more would come of their attraction. So they began dating. Being only 21 at the time, she was attracted to the idea of dating an older man. Older men had always seemed so much more sophisticated and charming than men her own age.

About three months into their relationship, Bulma found Symon to be a little too arrogant for her liking. He liked to brag about himself and his accomplishments and had a tendency to look down on those he considered "less" than him. She thought it was something that she could learn to live with. After all, no one was perfect. Besides, she wasn't always modest herself, but she never tried to make anyone feel they were inferior to her; at least not intentionally.

She noticed his tendency to become angry over small things, like a waiter not bringing their food fast enough or if she had to cancel a date last minute because of work. She tried to justify his temper because he had a stressful job, just like she did. It's not like he physically threatened her. He just raised his voice and used a few choice words to express his displeasure. She could be a bit of a hot head herself so she tolerated it. Besides, he would always apologize and make it up to her. But despite his flaws, she was head over heels in love with the man. She thought of him as her Prince Charming.

After dating for 6 months, he proposed. She thought things were moving to fast. She was definitely in love with him but was unsure if she was ready to take that step after only dating a short while. Symon told her he didn't see the point in waiting when it was obvious that they were meant to be together and how much he loved her. When she told her parents they insisted they would be perfect as husband and wife and reminded her that they had married after a whirlwind courtship and how happy they were to this day. So Bulma accepted his proposal and they were married 3 months later in a lavish outdoor ceremony in the exquisite gardens of Capsule Corp. Everyone who was anyone was there and no expense was spared.

Bulma would describe their first year of marriage as lovely. They bought a large home in West City, not far from Capsule Corp headquarters. Symon convinced her that they needed their privacy in a home of their own. Symon was the perfect doting husband, lavishing her with gifts, compliments and couldn't seem to keep his hands off of her. But after about a year his demeanor seemed to change. His wasn't as attentive and began working at the office later and later into the night. She knew his position could be demanding at times, being VP of Capsule Corp. herself, so she tried her best to be an understanding and supportive wife.

He would often seem angry and she felt like she could never please him. At first he would display his anger verbally. Calling her names and using colorful language. She would give him attitude right back, but would back off when he started throwing things or punching the walls. She thought that was the extent of his temper; that he would never actually attack her, but he soon proved her wrong.

When he came stumbling into the house late one night with lipstick on his collar and the distinct odor of alcohol on his breath, she became upset and highly suspicious of why he was out late so often. She confronted him on his whereabouts and he became enraged and slapped her across the face, telling her not to question him. She stood there holding her cheek in shock; staring at him in fear and disbelief. She couldn't believe what just happened. It was the first time he ever hit her. She slept in one of the guest rooms that night as he passed out, drunk, on their bed. The next day he sent her flowers from his office and even went so far as to come home with a new car. After that night, 3 years ago, that became the norm in their marriage. He would lose his temper, attack her and then apologize with expensive gifts.

Symon would try to be careful about hitting her in the face. He didn't need to raise anyone's suspicions about what was going on in his house. It was no one's business as far as he was concerned, but that didn't always work out. The times he would make contact with her face, he would make her take a hiatus from work and her social life to allow her face to heal enough to cover the remaining injury with makeup. But things didn't look exactly normal with her wearing turtle necks and long sleeved shirts in the summer to hide the bruises on her arms, back and neck.

In his mind, he would always rationalize that it wasn't his fault he couldn't control himself. He knew he had a bad temper and it had always been his downfall, but it wasn't his fault. It's not like he didn't try to improve himself. He even completed an anonymous anger management program twice in the last 2 years so that's got to count for something, right?

Things would always improve with his attitude, but it never lasted more than 6 months. So he had given up on the programs, after all no one was perfect. Bulma wasn't perfect and he didn't make her go to counseling for her flaws. Besides, Bulma was just as much to blame for his anger as he was by doing things that she knew would upset him. It was her fault for getting him worked up all the time. He expressed this to her on numerous occasions, particularly after he hit her.

But no more, after the devastating tragedy that happened a month ago, she knew she had to get away. Having dealt with abuse for three of their four year marriage, she finally had the courage to do what she should have done a long time ago. She felt overwhelmed with guilt for not leaving sooner. If she had maybe things would have been different. No, things would have definitely been different. If she didn't leave after the first time he hit her, than she certainly should have fled as soon as she found out her life was about to change. She had more than just herself to think of then, but she didn't. Instead she thought this would be the answer to fix her horrible marriage. That once she told him, things would get better. That he would stop hitting her and they would be in love again, just like in the beginning of their relationship. But instead of protecting this wonderful change that was about to happen, she put it in harms way by staying and now it was gone forever. She didn't know if she could ever forgive herself.

Now wasn't the time to dwell on that. She had to stay focused.

"What do you have planned for today?" he asked. Eyes never leaving his paper as he reached for his black coffee.

"I think I'll visit my mother today after work. I haven't seen her lately," she said as calmly as her nerves would allow as she sipped her coffee. He eyed her for a moment and Bulma held her breath. She felt exposed under his gaze, like he could see right through her lie. When he dropped his gaze and began folding up his paper, she breathed a silent breath of relief.

"I won't be home until late tonight again. I have a ton of paper work and some projects to oversee at the office," he said as he placed his folded up newspaper on the table and rose to his feet. He rounded the table to where she was sitting and kissed her cheek. Bulma tried her hardest not to flinch as he approached her. He hated it when she did that.

"Don't wait up," he said. She knew what that meant; another woman, again. He had a certain routine when he had a woman on the side. He would suddenly become to busy to come home at a decent hour and would always tell her to not wait up. Some nights he wouldn't even come home, claiming he was too tired from working all night to make the drive home. But he never came home empty handed. There would always be a piece of fine jewelry on her nightstand the next day. But she didn't care anymore; those other women could have him.

He grabbed his coat and headed out the door. As soon as she heard his car leave the driveway, she sprung into action. She dismissed the cook telling her to take the rest of the day off. Today was the maid's scheduled day off, which factored into to her plan to leave today. She, as casually as she could, left the kitchen and made her way into the family room, which led to the front entrance of the home.

She then dashed up the stairs and into the bedroom. She threw open her closet doors and grabbed two suit cases. She quickly began to fill the bags with anything she thought she might need. Walking to her dresser, she opened the top drawer and pulled out a set of silver house keys. The keys her best friend Chichi had given her just days ago. The keys were to Chichi's family cabin in Cave Creek and Bulma's place of refuge from her nightmare.

She waited upstairs until she heard the kitchen door shut, indicating that the cook had indeed left. The last thing she needed was the hired help seeing her running out of the house with suitcases. She grabbed the two suit cases and her car keys and made her way down the winding staircase that led to the front doors. She made her way to her car and opened the trunk and placed the suit cases inside. Feeling home free, she jumped in the driver seat and started the engine and threw it in reverse and then suddenly stopped.

The keys to the cabin.

She left the keys on top of her dresser and her purse as well. Cursing to herself she quickly ran back into the house up the stairs and into the bedroom. She went to her dresser but the keys weren't there. Panicked, she began frantically searching for them.

"Where is it?!" she asked herself out loud. Then she spotted them on the floor next to her dresser and her purse. She bent over to retrieve them. Relief flooded through her until a voice answered her question.

"Where is what?" Symon asked from the doorway of their bedroom.

Bulma quickly jerked into a standing position as she turned around, eyes wide and unbelieving. She looked like a deer in headlights. "Symon!" she said in fear but tried to mask it as surprise. "What are you doing here?"

"I forgot my briefcase. What are _you_ doing?" he asked suspiciously.

"I…um…couldn't find my…purse," she stammered as nonchalantly as she could. She turned her back to him as she knelt down over her purse, carefully lifted the cabin keys off the floor and slipped them inside her purse before standing up and facing him again. "I found it", she said as she gave a tense chuckle and slid the strap onto her shoulder.

"Right." he said as he walked past her and picked up his briefcase that was on the desk near the bedroom window. "I'm heading off then," He turned and made his way out the room and to the staircase. Bulma was following a few feet behind him, subconsciously clutching her purse tightly to her side. He suddenly stopped and Bulma jerked to a halt. He turned around and faced her and she did her best to keep a straight face. Silently praying that he hadn't figured out what she was up to, Bulma found herself holding her breath for a second time that morning.

"It just occurred to me, why don't you just ride to work with me? We're going to the same place?" he asked.

Bulma thought of a lie and she thought it up quick.

"Lunch," she blurted out. "I'm meeting Chichi for lunch so I need my car. I'm also going to visit my mother today, remember...and you did say you would be working late again tonight" _That ought to do it, _she thought to herself.

Symon seemed to ponder this for a moment before giving a dismissive shrug and continued out the door.

"Have a nice day honey," she said to him as they made their way out the front door. Without turning around to face her, he gave a nonchalant wave as he got back in his car and sped down the long driveway.

Bulma got back in her car for the second time that morning, leaving, this time for good.

She gave the house one last glance before driving off herself. Glancing in her rearview mirror she said goodbye to the place that had been her living nightmare for the past three years. She felt like a weight was beginning to lift off of her but knew she wasn't completely in the clear yet. There were still a few important things to be done before she could truly be free.

R/R PLEASE! ^_^


	2. Chapter 2

Hey everyone, I'm back! I've been really busy with finals and life. Here is the next installment for this story. I hope you all enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own Dragonball Z or any of its characters.

Chapter Two

It was a warm summer morning in Cave Creek. A few birds were beginning to chirp, the sun was just barely on the horizon, and Vegeta was rising for the day. It was 5:30 am; the time Vegeta awoke every morning. He owned an alarm clock but never set it; he didn't need to. His internal clock was all the alarm he needed. His days in the Marines trained him to awake without external stimulation.

Still tired from sleep, he slowly sat up as he pushed the comforter back and swung his legs over the edge of the bed, planting his feet in the plush carpet. He rubbed his hands over face in attempt to wake himself up. He let out a quiet yawn as he stretched his arms above his head as he finally stood up, ready to start his day.

Clad in only a pair of dark blue pajama pants, he made his way down the hall and into the kitchen where he put on a pot of coffee. Once the coffee pot was brewing he padded back down the hallway and into his bedroom. He rounded the bed as he headed straight for the bathroom. He re-emerged into the kitchen 30 minutes later fresh from the shower with a clean, shaved face and in his dark blue sheriffs' uniform. He popped 2 pieces of bread in the toaster, pulled out a frying pan and quickly scrambled a couple of eggs. He slid the eggs onto the plate just as his toast popped up.

Grabbing a mug from the cupboard, he poured himself a cup of coffee and sat down at the kitchen table and ate his breakfast. As he ate he gazed out the window, appreciating the magnificent hues of reds and oranges that sprayed across the sky as the sun began to peak on the horizon. This was his favorite time of the day; when the world was quiet and for a brief moment everything was at peace. It was so serene and calm. He took advantage of this time to relax, plan his day and appreciate the new life he had chosen for himself.

He owned a 15 acre dude ranch and had been the deputy-sheriff of Cave Creek, for 4 years now. At 30 years old, he had experienced more than many people do in a lifetime. Tragedy. War. Marriage. Divorce.

He went into the Core when he was 18, right after he graduated from high school. That's where he met his best friend and current superior Goku, who is the Sergeant of Cave Creek's small police force. Vegeta served for 4 years, alongside Goku and both were honorably discharged, having served the minimum requirement. Vegeta would have served another term but his mother was having a fit with him being in the Middle East. Having lost her husband in the line of duty, she didn't want to lose her son too.

He and Goku joined the police academy right after they returned home from war. Vegeta was following in his father's footsteps, who was killed when Vegeta was 7. He tried but failed to put his mother's worries at ease by telling her that he was highly trained, but moms will be moms and no amount of words could erase the worry she would feel every day he went to work. Both Vegeta and Goku had moved up the ranks fairly quickly, thanks to their military training. Within a couple of years they were partnered as detectives of the West City police force.

Despite her fears, she supported her son's decisions. She was proud that he was protective like his father was and it was only natural that he would gravitate towards a career that would allow him to exercise that part of himself.

His mother remarried, when he was 10, to an alcoholic that became violent when he was drunk. Vegeta tried to erase the man from his mind, including his name. Vegeta didn't think he ever saw his stepfather without some sort of alcohol in his hand. He was a blue collar worker in the city's steel mill. His alcohol problem wasn't apparent at first. He did a good job of hiding alcohol throughout the house to conceal his addiction. After a couple of years, his drinking became a part of their daily life. He didn't understand why his mother stayed with him.

Looking back now, he could only guess that she was lonely with his father being gone. They had been married for 10 years before he was born. He was their miracle child since the doctors had told his mother it would be next to impossible for her to conceive. They were together for almost 20 years when Vegeta's father was taken from them by some thug who didn't want to go back to prison. To be together with someone for that long and to have them suddenly ripped away had to be devastating. He guessed she needed someone to fill the lonely void that, at the time, had yet to heal.

He remembers lying awake in his bed night after night and hearing the yelling coming from his mother's room. He remembers crawling out of bed one time and peaking through the crack in his mother's bedroom door and seeing the man slap her across the face. Being only 12, he was angry at what he saw but to afraid to do anything. He had hated himself for not being able to stop him form hurting his mom. He hating being weak and helpless and blamed himself for his mother suffering, because he wasn't strong enough to stop it. Now, being a grown man, he, of course, knows there was nothing he could have done to stop him; his mother reassured him of that. He was only a little boy at the time. But still, he never wanted to feel that way again. Maybe that's where his obsession with working out came from.

For 4 years she put up with the abuse until the day he hit Vegeta. He was in one of his drunken rages and Vegeta was 14. She was at her breaking point in dealing with him hitting her, but she would not tolerate him putting his hands on her son. She was also worried that Vegeta would become abusive from his example, being so young and impressionable. She was afraid that he was too young to remember what a wonderful man his father was and take after his great example. But Vegeta remembered enough about the man his father was to be protective of his mother and women in general.

She finally put him out, but the separation only lasted for about a year until the drunk worked his way back into his mothers' life with sweet promises of being a better man and claiming he was going to AA meetings while they were apart. He said he wanted to be a good "father" for Vegeta, but those promises didn't last long. His stepfather began drinking just 6 months after his mother let him back into the house. One day Vegeta came home after his football practice to find his stepfather beating up his mother. Fed up, he pulled him off of her. All his pent up rage came pouring out and he beat the man unconscious. Vegeta's mom had to pull him off of the man's limp body. She called the police and had him arrested for domestic violence and made a vow to her son that he was out of their lives for good.

He was happy that his mother had finally found a good man to share her life with. She moved to the neighboring town of Serenity about 5 years ago, after she met and married a wonderful man named David. David was a handsome man who retired from his profession as a college professor to run his 30 acre cattle ranch full time. His mother enjoyed country life and was very happy that her son, now, lived nearby. It was only a twenty minute drive from his ranch to his mother's and he visited often.

When Vegeta was 23, and in his first year on the force, he met a beautiful woman at the annual Policeman's Ball. The Ball was a big deal to him and everyone on the force since its purpose was to raise money for the families of fallen police officers. Her name was Michelle Cosgrove, daughter of the CEO of Cosgrove Enterprises, the biggest architectural firm in the country. They married a year later. He retired a year before Goku did, after putting 4 years in the force; a detective for 2 of those years. He was burned out from that lifestyle. Working late nights and always on call. Seeing all the death and destruction, he had had enough and looked forward to spending more quality time with his wife. He took a job in her father's firm as a consultant. It wasn't exactly his dream job, but it was work. Unfortunately, things didn't work out the way he had planned.

Vegeta filed for divorce just days before their third wedding anniversary. After coming home early one day from work, he caught her in bed with another man, Thomas Broly, an attorney for the firm and Michelle's ex-fiancé. He took Goku up on his offer for the position of Deputy Sheriff after her betrayal and sulking in his bachelor apartment for 6 months. He decided to move on with his life somewhere new. The idea of a simple and quiet life was appealing to Vegeta. That, and the fact that he would be closer to his mother, a request she constantly pestered him with. After the rough life he had he definitely needed some peace of mind and protecting a small town of 1,100 people was just what he needed. He was able to satisfy the protective side of his personality while unwinding in the quiet countryside.

Having long since finished his breakfast, he put his dishes in the sink and headed out to his truck. It was new, silver, 4 door pick up he got a good deal on at the nearby South City dealership. He may enjoy the simple life but he still liked his toys and the dude ranching business was very lucrative. There were always a bunch of rich stiffs looking to purchase the finest horses for their lavish estates or to spoil their children with. Not to mention all the studs needed for the multiple derbies throughout the county. Yes, business was good. It was one of the reasons he purchased the ranch when moved to the town. But the biggest reward was the challenges the ranch had to offer. Whether it was breaking in a wild stallion or assisting in the birth of a new colt. He admired the strength and beauty of the animals themselves. They were graceful and yet powerful at the same time.

He jumped in the driver seat, fired the ignition and headed down the long gravel driveway that led to a main road.

He drove down Campbell Road, which was the main street that ran through the middle of downtown. This is where most of the businesses where located. There were some antique stores, a hardware store, and few small retail shops that sold everything from clothing to motor oil. He drove past "Sam's Diner" that sat on the left-hand side of the road. It was a popular place the locals liked to frequent; they served the best steak. Another popular place was "The Cake Box Bakery" across the street.

He turned left off of the main road and onto the smaller road of Walnut Ave., where the police station was located. He pulled into his designated parking spot in the front of the small building and cut the ignition. He got out of the truck and walked up to the building. He quickly determined that the air conditioner must be on the fritz again when he was greeted by a rush of stuffy air as he opened the door to the empty building. He was always the first one to arrive. The department was only comprised of 12 officers; 10 patrolmen, 1 deputy sheriff and 1 sergeant. They had an office clerk/dispatcher but she had moved to South City after getting married 6 months ago, and they had yet to find a suitable replacement. In the meantime, they had to handle dispatching and office duties themselves.

He sat down at his desk, which was located at the back of the large room, and turned on his dated computer. While he waited for the slow computer to boot, he grabbed the top folder of a stack of case files that was on his desk. There had been a series of vandalisms throughout the town and the residents were growing more and more upset since the police had no leads. The station was getting flooded with calls from victims wondering if they had any new leads and was constantly probed by the reporter of the town's small Daily Gazette newspaper. He was getting more than a little frustrated with the whole thing. He groaned as his phone began to ring. It wasn't even 8 o'clock yet. He knew it was going to be a long day.


End file.
